St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston Won't Feature Sam Adams Beer, Brewery Announces Boycott After Organizers Ban LGBT Group

Samuel Adams officials announced on Friday that they will not be participating in the Boston St. Patrick's Day parade this year, after organizers barred certain LGBT groups from partaking in the festivities.

Boston Beer Co., which manufactures and makes Sam Adams brews, released the decision after a bar in the city's South End said no Sam Adams beer would be served due to its affiliation with the Sunday parade.

According to the Associated Press, United States Rep. Stephen Lynch and Mayor Martin Walsh have been trying to strike up an agreement to let activist group MassEquality participate in the parade. But their efforts have been fruitless.

"We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in the parade," Boston Beer Co. reps wrote in a statement released Friday. "But given the current status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible. We share these sentiments with Mayor Walsh, Congressman Lynch and others and therefore we will not participate in this year's parade."

The beer company also stated it would still sponsor the yearly St. Patrick's Day Breakfast, which state politicians frequently attend.

"We have been participating in the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade for nearly a decade and have also supported the St. Patrick's Day breakfast year after year," the company continued. "We've done so because of the rich history of the event and to support veterans who have done so much for this country."

Irish-American mayor Walsh told the Associated Press that he wouldn't participate in the parade if LGBT organizations couldn't march along with him. He attempted to meet the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council members, who are organizing the event, halfway, AP reported. But because of a Supreme Court decision from 1995 that allows the council to prohibit whoever they see fit from marching, no agreement was reached.

The organizers reportedly did not want MassEquality to carry signs and banners that stated the people marching were gay. They told the mayor they'd been "misled" because LGBT Veterans for Equality, a sub set of MassEquality, wasn't a recognized veterans' group, according to AP.

A spokesperson from Boston Beer Co. could not be reached for comment.